Just thinking...

Albert and I really miss being on the road but it has been great seeing the boys (men), the daughter in laws and grandsons. They are so special to us. It also has been great seeing friends, neighbors and relatives and seeing their genuine excitement over us going.

We had such a wonderful time. There are no words really to explain how it was.I didn't realize how going on a trip like this would change things. DeKalb Junction just doesn't seem quite as exciting as it did before. Ha ha ha ha!

There are things that I appreciate more and some things less.

I so loved the huge view of the sky out west. It is amazing how you can see SO very far with no obstruction to your view and the sky looks like a huge dome. It seems m

uch closer to earth. I view our north country a little differently now. I can find places where our sky is bigger than I ever noticed before. I appreciate the fullness of the trees, bushes, and brush.

The desert is barren, dry and can seem lonely looking at times. So why did I love it? We sure did enjoy the 'warmth'.

Another thing I appreciate here are the tons of places that you can go to the bathroom because of the big rocks and forestry. LOL! There is nothing to hide behind out West except a very few places and normally they are populated with lots of tourist. :)

I had no clue if the heat would bother us or being away from home that long. We loved the heat. It is drier so it doesn't seem to be so bad even at 115°. We really wanted to travel longer but had to get back to have a few days to get settled back in.

I appreciated how everyone on the trip was friendly and no one really seemed to be in that much of a hurry. I felt rushed because we had so much we wanted to do. I was still in NY mode I guess. That is something I need to work on is to take my time. :o)

I fell in love with the Old Route 66. Memories of the way it use to be came back to me as we looked at the old homes, businesses and other memorabilia. We plan to ride the

whole route from IL to CA this coming summer. :o)

We have been riding ever day since we got home except for the rainy ones like today. It is so relaxing and calming.

Seems that we are not as excited about spending another winter here now. Arizona is in our mind a lot but even winters can have special adventures. It's all in how you 'see' it.

A special thanks to Albert for getting the trip planned out so well, for making the money (lol), for being so spontaneous in photos, thinking of my back and stopping often to stretch and making sure we stopped so I could have a snack and a Motrin. :o) I did re

ally well. It was amazing how going almost 8,000 miles on a Harley was actually so easy and so relaxing.

A special thanks to all of you who followed us. It was great knowing you were all back home reading and enjoying the trip with us and a special thanks to John (Hoot) and Wayne for the "protection" gifts they gave us before we left. How nice!

Last but not least a special thanks to Joan, Sharon, Kay, Heather, Jim, Mackenzie, Garrett, and Mark for letting us spend special time with them.

Life is good!

Hugs,

Susie

All photos

All photos of the 26 days on our Harley Adventure:

http://susies1955.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album24

New Hampshire 2009 Day 3

Went to the breakfast buffet this morning and met a couple from Elmira, NY. We talked to them for at least an hour about Harleys, horses, houses and antiques. Susie got the womans phone number and email before we left.

Then we went for about a 2 mile walk from one end of town to the other and back. It was a little chilly but nice temperature for a walk. I think with all the fudge and other eats we have had for the last month, I think we better get to walking again. LOL!

So we left Lake Placid, NY about 9:45 AM and it was starting to warm up. We rode to Tupper Lake, Cranberry Lake, Star Lake and then to Harrisville, NY for lunch at the little diner on the corner. I think the name of it is Rosies. They have very good food and are nice people if you happen to be in the area. Since I am advertising I will advise not to stay at the Best Western in Lake Placid. It is over priced and not up to par with most Best Western Motels. Phil and Kristi, the couple we met, agree with us on that.

Then from Harrisville we went to Fargo, Carthage, Champion, Watertown, Evans Mills, and Philadelphia, NY where we stopped for gas and to get rid of some coffee. haha From Philadelphia we headed to Antwerp and took the left turn just outside of Antwerp to Oxbow. I had never been on that rode and wanted to check it out since it was still fairly early.

From Oxbow we went to Rossie and cut across to Brasie Corners and went straight across on the California Road, which I had never been on. We took a left at the end of the California Road and ended up in Popes Mills. So that was quite a stretch of new road for the both of us and a nice slow paced ride.

From Popes Mills we went straight through Edwardsville to Morristown where we stopped at a new little cafe on Main Street. We each had just a cup of coffee and it was $3.40. NO WONDER THEY DON'T GET MUCH BUSINESS.

We left Morristown and went to Ogdensburg and then home for a total 3 day trip of 799 miles. It was a nice 3 day trip and we are looking forward to the next one but it probably won't be this year. For the rest of the year we will probably just do one day rides that will put us back at home by the end of the day.

Albert

PS: All the riding we did today was in NY state in case some of you aren't familiar with the name of the towns and I think Albert wants me to buy him this little tractor. LOL!

It was a great time as always. :)

Susie

New Hampshire 2009 Day 2

Cold start at 8:30 am of 35 degrees. We waited for the sun to get over the mountain and decided to head out.

We rode the Kancamagus Scenic Byway from Lincoln, NH to Conway, NH. It was only 8.5 miles to Maine from there so we went into Maine and then came back to the State Line Country Store which also has a Dunkin' Donut in it and had coffee and donuts.

Then we headed up Rt. 16 toward North Conway to pick up Rt. 302 to Littleton, NH. That was a bad mistake. There was a traffic jam in North Conway on a Sunday morning and it took close to an hour to get through. Anyway we hit I-93 to St. Johnsbury, VT and then Rt. 2 to Middlesex, Vt, Rt 100B to Rt. 100 then picked up Rt. 17 to Chimney Point where we crossed into New York State where we took Rt. 9N to Keene, NY and then Rt. 73 to Lake Placid where we are spending the night.

We will be home tomorrow sometime. It is supposed to go down in the 40's again tonight so we will probably get a late start again. We should be OK though Susie and I got a pound of fudge from the Candy Man here in Placid so we should be all set. LOL!!

New Hampshire 2009

We left home this morning about 8 AM and headed out. We took Route 11 to Rouses Point, NY and crossed the bridge into Alburg, VT. We stopped at the welcome center to refresh our memory on the Route up through Smuggler's Notch to Stowe, VT. Then we took Rt. 100 to Waterbury and jumped on I-89 and got off at the Barre, VT exit and took Rt. 302 East to Wells River, VT and crossed into NH to Woodsville. Got off 302 and onto 112 (Kancamagus Highway) as far as Lincoln, NH. It took a while but we finally found a vacancy at the Rodeway Inn after checking 5 or 6 other places. If you go to the Lincoln, NH area Labor Day weekend call ahead for a reservation or you may not get a room.
We went to Truant's for supper (we love that place) for the 4th time in 2 years. It is a neat looking place with very good food.
Tomorrow we finish riding the best part of the Kancamagus Highway from here to Conway, NH which is about 8 miles from the border of Maine. Probably get a late start because they are calling for temperatures in the low to middle 40's.

Local Ride

Thursday the 3rd of September we took a fairly long local ride. The temperature was about 75 degrees. I got done work and we went to Canton, Raymondville, Waddington, Ogdensburg, Black Lake, Gouvenuer and then back to De Kalb Jct. for a total of 128 miles. We didn't and usually don't take pictures on local rides.

Home and back to everyday things!

It seems like the 26 days flew by in a flash. We have tons of photos to upload but haven't found the time yet.

Albert and I got all the laundry caught up yesterday and some of our stuff put away.

Ron, Erica and Drew came for a visit and stayed for supper. It was so good to see them.

Last night while trying to sleep I woke up several times and wondered what state I was in. :o) I don't mean like the 'state of confusion' but which state as in the United States. LOL~!

Albert mowed the lawns and washed the Harley today while I went to get groceries.

We are grateful to Ron for taking care of the lawns while we were gone and watching over the house.

We still have a few things to put away but in no hurry. :)

We went this afternoon to get the oil changed in the Harley. We had it done before we left, while we were in CA and it needed it again. Seems a little chilly here after being in 115°! :o)

Thanks again for following us, for your thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

Thought I would post a few random photos:

Day 26

Up early this morning and got around to leave about 7:20 AM after calling Julie Gray Crotty to let her know we were leaving. She headed out to meet us a Sugar Creek by Longway's Diner to escort us back into St. Lawrence County.
We got to Sugar Creek just seconds behind Julie and come to find out just minutes ahead of the rain. After coffee, which Julie tipped over hers and after Susie finding her sunglasses that were hanging on her helmet, we took off for home.
Weeeeellllll it started raining real soon and buy the time we got to Philly Fuels Julie made a good move and pulled in. We put our bikes under the porch roof and got some coffee. We decided it wasn't going to quit real soon so got geared up and off we went. Today was the longest stretch of riding in the rain since we left on August 1st.
We had fun though, of course it is always fun when Susie and Julie get together. There is just something that makes them a little bit nuttier than usual. OH and they found a pole too.LOL!!!!
We got home around 11:00 AM and Julie headed home to get dried out. We both thank Julie for the welcome escort back even though she knew she would probably get wet.
We also thank Gena Jones for the welcome back horn blowing when she went by as we were unloading the Harley.
All in all it was a great trip. I just got off the phone with my brother Danny in Kentucky and he asked if we had it to do all over again what would we change. My answer was, "Have 6 months instead of 1 month." I am thankful though that things came together so we could take the 1 month.
Thanks to all that commented on the blog, on facebook, and by contacting family. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes. Thanks to Hoot for the Guardian Ride Bell and to Wayne for the St. Christopher pins. We travelled a total of 7,891 miles and arrived safe back in De Kalb.
By the way......................... the sun is shining now. :^)

Albert and Susie

Day 25

Left Jonestown, PA at 8 AM and the temperature was 60 degrees. We see lots of nice scenery as we travelled up I-81 and into New York State.
Today is Melissa Simser's birthday so as her present we stopped to stay with her, Andy and Mason for the night. LOL!!!! Oh and she liked the 'green' stuff we gave her too. :)
Tomorrow we end this adventure when we will be home again in De Kalb Jct., NY after a great and exciting trip. By the way Melissa is 29 yrs. old today. :^)

Day 24

Left Winchester, VA around 8:30 this morning with temperature of 69 degrees. We crossed into West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania very fast. We stopped at a Starbucks for a Cappuccino for a treat because we hadn't had one in a while. The on we went to Hershey, PA to have a look around at Susie's dream world. We found it without ANY problems at all. Hmmmmmm.....isn't that strange.
We spent a few hours there taking the tours and eating chocolate, looking around and eating chocolate, and walked around eating chocolate. Then we walked out to the Harley, eating chocolate, to go get a room for the night. We got a room fairly soon at Jonestown, PA after a short 152 miles today.